Personal Narrative Lesson Plan

This three-lesson unit was designed for intermediate-level college/university ESL students as part of a larger personal narrative writing module. It introduces students to writing for an academic audience while helping them understand when and how personal narratives can be used effectively in academic contexts. The unit also supports oral language development by incorporating a structured peer interview activity, offering students a low-pressure way to practice speaking and question-asking skills.

Through guided interviews, students gather details about a classmate’s first day at school and then write a narrative paragraph based on that experience. This exercise reinforces key grammar skills such as article usage and verb tenses, while helping students distinguish personal narrative writing from other prose forms. The unit builds written and spoken fluency while encouraging deeper engagement with classmates’ stories.

This was one of the first assignments I completed in the TESOL program, and as I read through it, I kept thinking of how I could improve the lesson plan by including a digital storytelling component or adapt it for younger ESL students.